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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. last — to go on
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. can — to be able to
  10. court — of a king
  11. rule — a law
  12. can — a tin
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rule — government
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. date — the fruit
  17. last — final
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. last — finally
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mate — to breed
  23. can — a tin
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com